Octavia Harris, a retired U.S. Navy command master chief petty officer, has been named chairwoman of the Department of Veterans Affairs‘ Advisory Committee on Women Veterans.
Harris will lead an expert panel that will offer policy and legislative recommendations to VA Secretary David Shulkin on matters and programs that affect female veterans and their families, VA said Tuesday.
“As VA continues to work toward modernization, the committee’s guidance will assist the department in meeting the important and evolving needs of women veterans,†said Shulkin.
The department also elected four new committee members that include Moses McIntosh, a retired U.S. Army chief warrant officer; Yareli Mendoza, a U.S. Air Force veteran; Keronica Richardson, an Army veteran; and Wanda Wright, a retired Air Force colonel who serves as director of Arizona’s Department of Veterans Services.
VA also extended the appointments of current committee members Kailyn Bobb, an Air Force Veteran, and Janet West, a Navy commander.
